Type: VII-C
Built by: Germania Werft (Kiel)
Launched: 10 February 1941
Commissioned: 22 March 1941
Feldpost Nr.: M38859
Sunk: 1 June 1943
Sunk by: HMS Starling (SL)
Location sunk: 315 miles S of Cape Farewell
Position sunk: 56º 12’N x 39º 52’W (18 men lost)

Both the hedgehog and the emblem of Innsbruck, the city that adopted this boat, were on the tower.

The first Skipper of U-202 was Hans Linder from commissioning until September 1942. He had also commanded U-18. The second and last Skipper was Kplt GÜNTHER POSER (322-1987) who was captured when the boat was lost. POSER ultimately was head of Intelligence for NATO and retired as Rear Admiral.

U-202 was attached as a Frontboot to the 1st U-Bootflottille based in Brest, France. U-202 had operations against convoys in the North and Central Atlantic as well as off the American coast in June and July 1942, later off Trinidad and the NE coast of Brazil over September and October 1942. When the boat was sunk 18 men were lost, 30 were captured.

SHIPS SUNK BY U-202 UNDER LINDER
28.08.41	LADYLOVE	Brit stmr	230 GRT
11.09.41	SCANIA	Swed stmr	1,980 GRT
SCANIA was first hit by a torpedo fired from U-82, then sunk by torpedoes from U-202.
03.11.41	FLYNDERBORG	Brit stmr	2,022 GRT
03.11.41	GRETAVALE	Brit stmr	4,586 GRT
U-202 attacked four ships in Convoy SC.52 in Grid Square AJ 7849. They saw hits on the first two ships, one of which sank quickly. They heard a third torpedo hit. Some hours later, they fired a coup de grace against a capsized wreck, but that could have been one of the earlier victims.
01.04.42	LOCH DAN	Brit mtrshp	5,249 GRT
22.06.42	RIO TERCERO	Arg stmr	4,864 GRT
This was a neutral ship at the time and Linder claimed that she showed no neutrality signs and was recognized as Argentinean only after the attack.
01.7.42	CITY of BIRMINGHAM	Amer stmr	5,861 GRT
Built in 1923, this ship was owned by the Ocean SS Company and operated by the Alcoa SS Company. She drew 21 feet under her cargo of 2,400 tons of general cargo and was making 11 knots when hit. Her Master was Lewis P. Borum and the ship was armed with a single 4-inch deck gun and two .30 cal. machine guns. The minesweeper USS STANSBURY (DMS-8) was escorting the ship about a mile off. STANSBURY signaled for a change of course and about ten minutes later, two torpedoes hit portside about 100 feet abaft the bow at the #1 hatch and a second torpedo hit directly beneath the bridge which caused massive flooding forward. The ship quickly took a 45º list to port and she sank within five minutes. Most of the personnel got off the ship in an orderly fashion and the Armed Guard gun crew remained until all others were off the ship. STANSBURY dropped depth charges then came to the aid of the survivors. Two passengers and six of the crew could not be accounted for and one crewman died later aboard STANSBURY out of the compliment of 10 officers, 103 crew, 263 passengers and 5 Armed Guards.

SHIPS SUNK BY U-202 UNDER POSER
01.10.42	ACHILLES	Neth stmr	1,815 GRT
07.10.42	JOHN CARTER ROSE	Amer stmr	7,191 GRT
This ship was hit by a dud torpedo from U-201 then by two torpedoes from U-202. Later there was another torpedo from U-201 and gunfire from the deck gun of U-201 to sink her. A new ship, built in 1942, she was owned by WSA and operated by Barber West Africa Lines. Her Master was Magnus Leknes and she was making 11 knots when attacked. She drew 27 feet under her cargo of 7,979 tons of gasoline in drums and other general cargo. Her armament consisted of one 5 inch and one 3 inch deck guns and four 20mm automatic guns. The ship was bound for Freetown (Africa) from New York with a stop at Trinidad. When the dud from U-201 hit, the Master turned the ship so the stern gun would bear on the submarine and they fired four rounds but the boat dived. The ship began a zigzag course in an attempt to evade but about a day later, U-202 spotted her and fired two torpedoes, hitting her aft between the #2 and #3 holds. The explosion blew off the hatch covers and ignited the cargo of drummed gasoline. There was little structural damage, but the flames spread from the bridge to the stack. After twenty minutes of trying to fight the fire, the Master gave the order to secure engines and abandon ship. Due to the flames, they had trouble getting off the ship but did so into three lifeboats. U-201 came back, fired another torpedo (a dud) and then seven rounds from the deck gun to send her down. The boat came to the survivors, asked them some questions then handed them cigarettes, first aid supplies and bread. The lifeboats got separated that night and on 13 October, the American SS WEST HUMBER saw one boat and picked up eighteen survivors, landing them at Freetown. The Argentinean tanker SANTA CRUZ picked up the other boats with thirty-five men and landed them at Recife, Brazil. Three of the Armed Guards and five crew died in the attack.
23.02.43	ESSO BATON ROUGE	Amer tnkr	7,989 GRT
This ship was no stranger to the rigors of war, being sunk off the Georgia coast on 8 April 1942 by U-123 under command of REINHARD HARDEGEN (102-LIFE-1985) but her skipper at the time, beached her and she was repaired. Then on 23 February 1943, this ship was making 9 knots and drew 18 feet in water ballast when attacked. She was built in 1938, owned and operated by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. Her Master was James S. Poche and she was armed with one 4 inch and one 3 inch deck gun and eight 20mm automatic guns. On 16 February 1943, the ship departed Swansea, South Wales in Convoy UC.1 bound for Curacao, in convoy station #43 in this convoy of 32 vessels. Four ships near this one were torpedoed by U-382 and U-202. The Master sounded the general alarm but before they could react, the stern tube of U-202 fired a torpedo that hit starboard and blew out the bulkhead between the tanks and the engine room, which quickly filled with burning oil, the superstructure was blown high in the air. The engines were secured and the eight officers, thirty-five crewmen and twenty-five Armed Guards attempted to lower the boats but the ship was still making headway. Three rafts were launched, but they were quickly swept aft, as the ship was still moving. The sloop HMS TOTLAND (Y-88) picked up all men in the water in less than two hours. One officer and one crewman died on watch below when the ship was hit and one of the Armed Guards also died. TOTLAND treated the injured men and put them ashore at Antigua and transferred the others to a Dutch ship, which landed them in Trinidad.

SHIPS DAMAGED by U-202 UNDER LINDER
22.03.42	ATHELVISCOUNT	Brit tnkr	8,882 GRT.
SHIPS DAMAGED by U-202 UNDER POSER
23.02.43	EMPIRE NORSEMAN	Brit tnkr	9,811 GRT.
23.02.43	BRITISH FORTITUDE	Brit tnkr	8,482 GRT.

Captain BOB THEW (333-+-1987) was ONI and later NSA, and he gave us this report on U-202:

By late June, she was in the central Atlantic as part of the “West” group but without success. On 27 August she was directed to Convoy HX.145 but was unable to locate it. The next day she was reformed into the “Markgraf” Group southwest of Iceland. Under the command of LtCDR Linder she sank a 230-ton fishing trawler on the 27th. On the night of 10/11 September she joined the attack on Convoy SC.42 but made no hits until the next day when she sank a ship of 1,980 gross tons that had been torpedoed earlier by U-82.

On 21 October she joined the “Schlagetot” Group west of Ireland – this was the beginning of a new patrol. On the 22nd she attempted to attack Convoy SL.39 but was driven off and the operation was terminated.

After this, the group was sent to an area southeast of Greenland and reformed into the “Raubritter” group to attack Convoy SC.51 on 1 November. On 3 November she attacked the convoy and sank three ships of 8,440 tons in two approaches. In mid December she was ordered to the Mediterranean but was damaged en route and had to return to base. Still under the command of Linder, she was repaired and sent to the US east coast in mid-March 1942. Here she sank one ship of 5,249 tons and damaged another of 8,882 tons. In early April, she took on fuel from UA on her return trip. This was one of the first at-sea refueling the Germans had attempted.

Between mid-June and mid-July she returned to American waters where she landed agents and then sank two ships of 10,725 tons. Returning from this patrol she sighted Convoy OS.34 but was driven off by a corvette in the night of 17/18 July. In late September she operated south of Trinidad under her new commander, Lt. Poser and sank one ship of 1,815 tons and shared another of 7,191 tons with U-201. On 7 February she joined the “Delphin” group where she operated west of Cape St. Vincent. By the 16th she had joined the “Rochen” group south of the Azores. On 22 February she attacked the tanker convoy UC.1 where she sank one of 7,989 tons and damaged two others. Her commander had been promoted to LtCdr by this time.

After this operation she proceeded to the area of the Canary Islands as part of the “Tummler” group but without success. By 12 May 1943, she became part of the “Lech” group southwest of Cape Farewell. A few days later she was reformed into the “Donau 2” group. On 24 May she and a few other submarines were sent into the central Atlantic under orders to simulate a large concentration by deceptive use of her radio. She was sunk by HMS STARLING on 1 June after a 15-hour hunt.

Operation Pastorus: German Spies Landed in US